Since the beginning of
the Syrian Civil War, in 2011, four million people have left
the country, looking for better conditions of life elsewhere. To this
day, countries like Turkey and Lebanon, which are geographically
located near the war-torn country, have received and helped the great
majority of the refugees. But now they are coming to Europe, and it
is time for us to make an important decision, that will change
Europe, and very likely the world.
At the moment, Europe
is divided on whether we should help these people. A growing,
loud sector of society demands action. Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland
especially, with nationalist governments in power, are against any
help. Their concerns about economy, security, and cultural and
racial tensions are close to xenophobic behaviour, but the truth is,
as sovereign states, they are making a statement
Now, is their stance on
this issue true to the actual reality? Is it actually true refugees
are here to disgrace our countries, and bring ISIS over? As you might
have guessed, no.
An article written in The
Frontier Post, an independent English newspaper, makes a great
argument out of the refugee crisis. Citing various studies, they have
found no links between "so called" nationalists main
arguments and reality. Let us look at a few examples:
- Immigration benefits host countries: immigrants bring new skills with them, and an entrepreneurial spirit, often creating jobs themselves; In Denmark, an influx of refugees in the 90s actually increased the average wage of the natives, as the Danish would move on to more skilled jobs;
- Immigration and fertility rates: Europe is dying out. Countries like Germany and Portugal for example, might lose a huge chunk of their population by 2100, and the sustainability of their social security systems is already at threat. Germany already relies on workers from other EU European Union nations to fill many jobs. Historically, these immigrants have higher fertility rates and are very young when coming to Europe (51% of Syrian refugees are less than 18 years old), and can be a part of the solution;
- Healthcare benefits: there is little evidence to support the claim that immigrants will move simply to take advantage of generous government benefits. In Britain, for example, immigrants pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits;
- Debt: An US Congressional Budget Office report in 2013 estimated that facilitating the path to citizenship and making "more employment-based visas available to foreigners" would raise GDP by 5.4% and "lower the federal budget deficit by $897 billion over 20 years".
Friends, you now have the
facts. Use them well. More than the economic benefits of accepting
refugees, we are humans after all. Compassion is what
distinguishes us from animals, apart from intelligence (which is
always questionable ). Let
us be like Lebanon, and save this people from
suffering. Let us save Syria.
by
Afonso Boavida
Sources:
https://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php
http://www.thefrontierpost.com/article/337413//
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